Flesh and Bone
by Kohinyun
Summary: Trapped between Jagara’s army and an unknown threat, Kiba and co. struggle to find their way out of a city with their lives. Set early in the series, about ep. 5 or 6.
1. In the City

**Disclaimer:** _Wolf's Rain_ belongs to Bandai and Studio Bones and anyone else who's paid for the rights. I'm just borrowing this world for fun. No profit was made from this story.

**A/N:** The whole psychic/illusion thing is a bitch. Not quite sure if I've gotten it right. Oh well, that's what creative license is all about, right?

**Chapter 1 **

He hated this. Hated it more than anything else his companion could have forced him into doing. Despised it. His nose twitched uncontrollably, bombarded on all sides by a myriad of scents that could be called unpleasant at best. Personally, he would've chosen 'putrid' as his preferred adjective. Of course, there hadn't been much choice when they'd begun this little trip. The armed forces had seen to that. The sewer had just been the easiest way out of a bad situation.

And the nastiest. Hige glared at the figure running in front of him, sending dark thoughts about their choice of escape routes his way. As if reading his thoughts, the large silver wolf slowed and glanced back. Hige sped up so they were shoulder to shoulder.

"We almost out of here?" he asked, glad that he sounded only slightly out of breath. Maybe he really was a bit chubby like Tsume kept saying, instead of just big boned.

"Shut up," Tsume growled in response, eyes still strait ahead. "They're still behind us." He paused for a moment, glancing around uncertainly. "This way," he said at last, darting down a sewer tube so narrow that Hige had to duck his head at every joint. They ran down that tube for quite some time, the only ways out being much smaller than either Tsume or Hige could squeeze through, until they found themselves standing at the edge of a cavernous space, a huge pipe extending as far as they could see up above them and into blackness below them.

Panting, Hige peered carefully over the edge. It made him a little nervous the way Tsume stood hardly an inch away from the pit, as casually as if it were just a street curb. The way Tsume was analyzing the pit, eyes narrowed as if sizing up the bottomless chasm, made him even more nervous.

"You're not thinking of jumping, are you?" he asked after he'd caught his breath. "Cuz count me out. I don't do free falls from unknown heights."

Tsume shrugged. "Suit yourself. If you prefer captivity in an unknown cage, that's your choice." A quick tensing of his muscles and he was gone over the edge.

The sound of pounding feet echoed down the sewer pipe. Hige could hear the metallic click of rifles as the safeties switched off. Damn, how did he always manage to get into these situations? A deep breath, a jerky push-off, and he was airborne just as the footsteps rounded the last corner and gunfire ricocheted off the metal over his head.

The fall seemed to last forever, and Hige was drawing in a breath with which he could howl his displeasure at being in mid-air when he crashed into something solid that made his head spin. His head spun even more when he tried to finish that breath and sucked in liquid. Water, he'd hit water. Or, something that was mostly water, if the smell and taste were anything to go by.

Somewhere between the coughing and the spitting, Hige managed to gasp out Tsume's name. He almost panicked when there was no answer, glancing about the dark surface of the water hoping to see some speck of gray fur. There was no way he'd ever be able to find Tsume if his packmate was already sinking beneath the surface. Had he actually been able to see the water, he was sure it would have been some horrible shade of opaque brown. When Tsume's face broke above the surface, Hige let out the breath he'd been holding. He grabbed Tsume by the shoulders and shook him roughly.

"What the hell were you doing, you idiot! You scared me to death!"

Tsume seemed unperturbed by Hige's yelling. "Shut up and follow me," he said. "We need to get out of here. There's a short passage a few meters down. Take a deep breath before you dive."

"What's the hur—" Hige started to ask, but was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Gulping a lungful of air, he dove quickly after Tsume as the water around him exploded into white foam as it was peppered by dozens of bullets.

The noise of the gunfire seemed even louder under water, and following Tsume was nearly impossible with the chaos of noise and white water and confusion that hit Hige as soon as he dove. He forced his eyes open, forced himself not to think about what else might swimming around down here, in the inky blackness below him. There was just enough light filtering down from the head lamps of the armed men above them to see Tsume's gray bulk kick out, pushing himself downwards, and disappear into some invisible passageway with a swish of his tail. Against all his instincts as a wolf (_go up, go up_, his mind was screaming), Hige followed suit, descended into the darkness and searched desperately for that same passageway. It wasn't hard to find. There must have been some opening to the surface at the other end because he could see where the water turned an ugly brown rather than this horrible, inky blackness. A few kicks, and he was half inside the pipe.

He nearly sucked in a lungful of water at the pain. Vaguely he realized that the searing line of pain running down his right flank meant he'd been hit. More pressing, however, was the screaming of his lungs' demand for air. Desperately, he kicked out with his hind feet, ignoring the tearing feeling in his hindquarters, and scrambled for purchase with his front feet on the ribbed piping. The feeling in his chest was getting stronger and harder to ignore. _Just a few more feet. A little more_. Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. He could barely move. Finally, he was out of the pipe. He kicked up out of instinct, hardly feeling the bullet wound now that his lungs were screaming with such intensity. The surface was still far above him. He wasn't going to make it. He needed to breath _now_.

There was a body underneath him, propelling him upwards now that his legs seemed to have stopped working. The surface was inexplicably getting closer and closer. He could see the shimmering light reflecting off its surface now, and the vague outline of the room's walls waving upwards towards a hole in the ceiling. Suddenly, light blinded his eyes as his head broke free of the murky water and he gasped, choking as water tried to rush out of his mouth. He coughed, wanting more than anything else to breath in, but unable to as his lungs cleared themselves of the water he'd inhaled. There was the sharp taste of bile in his mouth as he retched, covering up the equally foul taste left by the sewage. And then air, sweet, delicious air. All the air he could ever want.

He realized, quite suddenly, that he was being held afloat by a pair of strong arms. Weakly, he turned to look at Tsume who looked only about half as drowned as Hige felt. They bobbed up and down for a moment as Tsume kicked his legs furiously to keep both their heads above water. Hige shook off Tsume's arms and paddled a few feet away. He couldn't stop the whine that came out of him as his injured side protested the movement.

Tsume seemed to be having an easier time of it now that he had his arms free. "Shut up, or they'll hear us," he admonished gruffly. Then, "It'd be a lot easier without all this fur," he added under his breath, though it was loud enough for Hige to hear.

Hige took a deap breath and tried to do as Tsume said. The pain in his legremained a constant, buta few moments in the icy water numbed it toonly a dull ache. "Why didn't we just show them our human faces?"Higeasked Tsume once he had caught his breath.

"Speed. And they would've seen through it. You can't fool someone if you change in front of them." Tsume answered distractedly as he studied the walls with a scowl on his face. Hige might have been worried about their situation had it not been a normal expression for Tsume. The other scowled even deeper when he turned back to Hige. "You alright now?"

Hige nodded. "Just a scratch. I've gotten worse from an ally cat. So where to now?" For the first time he looked around the room they'd entered and felt a sinking in his stomach. The walls were smooth concrete. Even in human form they'd have no chance of climbing them. The light trickling into the chamber came from four small holes at least sixty feet above them. A man-hole cover, though there was no way to reach it. Hige groaned. "Don't tell me we have to do that again."

Tsume shook his head. "No, no way out that way. The walls were smooth there too. Besides, they'll probably send some men down after us and I don't want to get in a fight underwater."

Hige laughed humorlessly. "So we're just going to float here until we grow gills?"

Tsume shook his head again. "No, there," he said, pointing. "We'll go that way."

Hige looked where Tsume had pointed and almost laughed again. About ten feet above their heads was a dark circle in the wall. Another passageway, though where it led to there was no way of knowing. "And how do you suggest we get there, o wise one? Grow wings instead of gills?"

"Can you jump?"

"W-what?" Hige snorted. "From here? Sure, just as soon as I grow those wings I'll get right on it."

Tsume gave him a look that clearly said he thought Hige was being stupid. Well, what did he expect when he asked the impossible? "Fine, don't move," Tsume ordered and swam off behind Hige. He repeated the order a little more roughly when Hige began to turn to follow him.

There was a flurry of movement, the sound of water splashing and a few waves threatening to engulf him, and suddenly Hige found himself pushed violently underwater by a sudden weight on his shoulders. He felt the scraping of one set of claws through his shirt, then another, and then was left to fight his way back to the surface.

"What the hell?" he sputtered, shaking the water out of his eyes. There was a clanging sound coming from above him and he looked up. Tsume, in human form, hung from the lip of the pipe and was swinging a leg up to hook into it. When he had gotten himself up, he leaned out and offered a hand down towards Hige.

"You could have told me what you were up to," Hige grumbled as he paddled over to the side. A good kick and he managed to grab Tsume's hand and let the other lift him up.

"Thanks," Hige said when both feet were on solid ground.

Tsume was peering down the pipe. "Hn. Lose some weight. That'll be thanks enough."

"Hey," Hige protested. "Want me to push you back in?"

He actually got a chuckle out of that. "I'd like to see you try," Tsume answered. "Let's go. There's some air moving from this way." He set off at a run and Hige had no choice but to limp after him.

"Ne, Kiba, they're not back yet." The petulant almost-whine in Toboe's voice made Kiba force himself out of the afternoon nap he'd been enjoying. He pried his eyelids apart and blinked in the bright afternoon sun. Toboe was leaning over him, eyes huge. The kid gave a new meaning to the phrase 'puppy-dog eyes'.

"Hn," Kiba grunted, rolling over and hoping the pup would get the hint. "Hige probably just ate everything they found so they're still searching. Don't worry about it."

Toboe, of course, missed the brush off. "But they've been gone _forever_," he argued. "What if something happened to them?"

Kiba sighed. "They're fine. Even if they ran into trouble, Tsume can handle himself and Hige's not too shabby a fighter either. Quit worrying."

Some of his irritation must have come through in Kiba's voice despite his best efforts to keep it hidden for Toboe backed away and went to stand at the empty window of the crumbling building they'd taken shelter in for the time. He stared morosely down at the street below, shoulders slumped, and Kiba felt a trace of…was that guilt? The kid was just that, after all, a kid.

"Hey," Kiba started, sitting up.

"It's just…something feels wrong. This city feels wrong." Toboe didn't look at Kiba as he spoke. His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare down at the street.

"I know," Kiba answered, laying back down. He stared up at the ceiling, a small tendril of worry keeping him awake now that Toboe had mentioned his unease. They'd only been in this city a day, really only had to stay a few days to let cracked pads heal and strained muscles rest, but there'd been something bothering him since they arrived. At first, he'd thought it was whatever cargo the trucks of the trading party they'd snuck in underneath had been carrying, but even after they'd set off in the opposite direction he could still smell it. As if the city itself were rotting. Tsume seemed to have sensed it as well. He'd been stalking around the small room, jumpy as a cat, until Kiba lost his patience and yelled that he should make himself useful and find some food. Hige had perked up instantly at the word 'food' and volunteered to go with Tsume. Kiba chose to quell his unease with a nap, and Toboe was left alone to keep a lookout for anyone approaching their hideout.

"How long are we staying?" Toboe asked suddenly. "Can we leave as soon as they get back?"

"Three days," Kiba promised. "Winter's coming on. We need food and rest before we set out again or else we won't all make it. Three days, and then we can leave."

"I can leave now," Toboe protested. "Let's just go when they get back. Please. I don't like it here. We can eat and then go."

Kiba couldn't help but smile as he reached up to ruffle Toboe's hair with one hand. "Okay, chibi, we'll talk about it. Let's just wait for Tsume and Hige to get back. Get some rest now so you can keep up later. You don't want Tsume yelling at you, do you?"

"I've kept up this far!" Toboe yelled, swiping a fist in Kiba's direction that Kiba blocked. "I've just got shorter legs so I have to work harder."

"Sure, Chibi," Kiba laughed, pushing Toboe backwards. The pup, unbalanced, sprawled gracelessly on his backside for a moment blinking in shock. And then he attacked Kiba.

"Don't call me chibi!" he howled, jumping on top of the older boy in wolf form. Kiba went down under his weight and the two wolves rolled across the floor. They hit the wall and sprang apart, Toboe breathing heavily. He glared at Kiba, who looked completely unphased except for the little bit of plaster from the crumbling wall that clung to his coat.

Kiba smirked. "What're you waiting for?"

Toboe answered by leaping at Kiba. Or rather the place that Kiba had been standing. He felt a light tap on his right side and spun.

"Too slow," Kiba said, definitely grinning now. "Wanna try again?"

A few minutes later and Toboe was standing in almost exactly the same spot, panting for breath and glaring at Kiba. That last tap had kind of hurt, and he hadn't even managed to get near the other wolf yet. Kiba settled himself on the floor, head on his front paws as if to sleep, but Toboe noticed his ears were pricked forward. "Any time, pup," he said after a moment.

Toboe sat down, staring intently at Kiba. So far, attacking the older wolf head on hadn't worked. He was silly to think he could even try. Kiba was the strongest out of all four of them and Tsume was the only one who could likely hold his own against the white wolf. So if attacking him straight on didn't work, he needed to figure out something else. And then he had it.

Carefully, Toboe stood up, trying to make as little noise as possible. He padded forward three steps then paused as Kiba's ear twitched. Then, he jumped.

Or pretended to. As soon as Kiba heard the telltale scratching of Toboe's claws on the cement floor, he sprang into action, darting to the right. Toboe stopped the jump before it actually started and saw the movement this time.

The second attack, however, was real. As soon as Kiba stopped, Toboe jumped. Just a little to the right of where Kiba had been standing. He hit the older wolf full on, biting and scratching so Kiba would know he was there. He'd thought he had the upper hand, but suddenly found himself on his back, Kiba's jaws around his neck. Whining deep in his throat, he curled his tail up between his legs in supplication.

Kiba's jaws tightened a fraction of a centimeter. "Watch the teeth and claws, pup," he growled. Toboe whined again and felt Kiba move away. He swallowed a few times, breathing deeply, before flipping himself onto his feet.

Kiba walked up to him and gave his muzzle a quick swipe with his tongue. "Good job, Chibi, you got me." He walked back over to his napping spot and switched back into human form. "Better change in case anyone comes."

Toboe nodded and flopped down beside Kiba as a human. He found his eyelids closing of their own accord, sleepy from too much exercise on too little food. His stomach rumbled noisily, reminding him of their missing companions who were still out searching for something to eat.

"Ne, Kiba, I hope they get back soon," he said sleepily. Kiba grunted in response. "They've been gone so long," Toboe continued as his thoughts began to spiral towards visions of a green hillside. "I hope they're safe." And then he was running through a field of tall grass and silvery flowers, his empty stomach and his fears forgotten.


	2. Hide and Seek

Disclaimer: _Wolf's Rain_ belongs to Bandai and Studio Bones and anyone else who's paid for the rights. That's not me.

A/N- I apologize in advance for the apostrophe errors. Ive been forced to switch to a Japanese keyboard, and even though I can SEE the apostrophe key, I cant figure out which button to push to make it work!

**Chapter 2**

She could feel it. Even in the nothingness of this realm, in the utter emptiness of anything living that she could connect with, it penetrated the cold, sterile confine that had been her birthplace and her home. She knew there were things outside of this cold liquid orb. She could feel them on occasion. If they called strongly enough to her. If they were somehow connected to the purpose she knew she would one day serve.

There had been four of them. Time had no meaning in this sphere of existence, but those four had been known to her long enough that their presence on the edge of her awareness was something she was beginning to take for granted. They'd been moving closer and closer to her, had been right next to her at one point, so loud that their song had awakened her from timeless sleep. But then she'd been swept away by that thing whose song was all misery and despair, sung so low she had to strain to hear it, the thing that watched her now. He wasn't like the four who she had sensed at first. She realized that, could hear it in his song. Neither was he like the fifth, whom she had only recently become aware of. The fifth followed behind the four, her song altered but recognizable. No, her captor's song was like the screeching of nails down a chalkboard, something she could hear but that was so innately wrong she could only sing her own song and hope it would soothe the violent range of emotions she felt pouring out of her captor's flesh.

She reached out with her awareness as far as she could beyond the cage of flesh that entrapped her. The four and the one that was not were near each other, and though she had no sense of direction she could tell that they were closer to her than they had been the last time she had searched for them. Had she been able to, she would've smiled. Were words a part of her world, she would have called the feeling inside her 'anticipation.' The one whose song was more beautiful than all the rest was coming to her.

She focused on his song and felt herself begin to sing in tune. It carried her away from the flesh, from her captor, from this quiet and unchanging world and she heard fields full of silvery flowers woven into it. She rode the wave of his song beyond herself until it died down into a soft hum as it occasionally did. Bored, she spread her awareness again in search of the others and pulled back suddenly.

There were six now. The four true ones, the one who was not, and now she could feel the sixth, the monster. She did not know what it was, but its song was even worse than her captor's, the screaming of a thousand wolves dying over a thousand years, the sound of death itself.

An alien liquid began to spill from her eyes as she opened her mouth and sang as loudly and as clearly as she could, putting all of her will into her song. _Flee_, she said without words. _Danger. Flee. Come to me. Run._

* * *

Kiba awoke suddenly, ears pricked, listening for the voice that had been calling for him. He heard nothing, save the horrid noise of the world of man outside their small sanctuary. If it could even be called a sanctuary. Like all things humans made, it was quickly crumbling away to nothing. He rose and sniffed the air, something inside him urging him to leave this place as fast as he could and continue north. Again, nothing. The air smelled sweet, even, like a wooden field instead of a concrete forest.

Toboe was still asleep, his tongue lolling on the dirty floor. Chuckling at the pup, Kiba leapt out the broken wall and made his way up to the roof. Once, the building had been much taller. Ruins of walls still stretched up above his head in a few places, but most of the walls had ended up as piles of rubble strewn across the rooftop. Still, this building had survived better than its neighbors and from it Kiba could see much of the new town. It stretched out before him, a jumble of tents and shacks erected between the ruins of ancient skyscrapers that stretched all the way to the sturdy wall circling the town. A transient town, full of people who had come this far and given up. Kiba scoffed at their weakness.

The faint sound of hundreds of feet stamping in unison drew his attention away from the slums that comprised most of the town. There were two buildings here that caused the hair on Kiba's back to stand up and brought a growl to his throat. The first was the compound that served as an outpost for Jagara's troops. It stood surrounded in the midst of the rubble untouched by all the poor and desperate, despite its obvious wealth. Kiba had a feeling the ring of armed guards played a large part in that. He and Tsume had gone snooping around the area when they first arrived. The smell of wolf's blood had been strong. Tsume had practically needed to knock him unconscious to keep him from attacking. The other building that Kiba had come to despise in their short stay was behind one of the taller walls, out of sight. A gleaming tower of white marble that sparkled in the sun untouched by the filth of the city below. It smelled rotten on the inside, worse than the Jagara compound. It was more than just wolf's blood that had been spilled there.

Jagara's troops were busy this afternoon. Kiba could see the tiny green figures hurrying about the city, disturbing what peace could be found there. He had a sinking feeling that Tsume and Hige were behind that disturbance. A few leaps and he was back inside the building and nudging Toboe. The pup was slow to awaken, made lazy by the warm sun and the rare chance to relax.

Toboe blinked sleepily up at Kiba. "Whasit?" He looked like he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and go back to sleep.

"Get up. We're going to look for Hige and Tsume," he answered gruffly.

The pup jumped up at those words and they left the crumbling building, both tense. There was something just not right about the city that set Kiba's hair on end and mad Toboe want to curl his tail under his legs and run away as fast as he could. It wasn't just Jagara's troops. Several regiments passed them, loaded guns slung over their shoulders and eyes sweeping the crowds for anything out of the ordinary. Kiba and Toboe merely slunk back amongst the rest of the cowering refugees until they were gone around the corner.

They moved carefully then, though it was frustrating work. They did their best to stick to the crowd, but oftentimes a scent or a glimpse of something familiar would lead them off the main streets and into narrow alleys or tiny, abandoned courtyards. The city itself seemed to work against them; it was a maze of odors and noises and byways that was enough to make one's head spin. More than once, Kiba found himself heading off in the wrong direction only to be corrected by Toboe. He found himself growing more and more irritated with the runt's city know-how. The runt had been raised as little more than a common dog, after all, while Kiba truly knew what it meant to be a wolf. And being a wolf had nothing to do with finding one's way through stinky backstreets.

He was just about to open his mouth and tell the runt exactly that when he heard booted feet approaching. Jagara's troops. A glance at Toboe told Kiba that the runt was blissfully unaware of their approach, his nose occupied with a pile of garbage

"Human," Kiba hissed, transforming himself.

Toboe looked up, startled. "Wha-?" he began to ask, but there was no time.

Kiba grabbed Toboe by the scruff of the neck and drug him under the remains of a decrepit statue. "Transform," he practically growled, and this time Toboe understood. Suddenly, a young man crouched beside him.

Just in time, too. The sound of booted feet grew louder and uniformed men appeared, rifles slung over their shoulders. Kiba and Toboe huddled into the shadows and did their best to look cold and hungry and entirely uninterested in the passing soldiers.

Which was entirely easier said than done, especially when the soldiers decided it was the perfect time and place for a smoking break. Toboe elbowed Kiba in the side as he scrambled back further into the depression, narrowly avoiding a heavy black combat boot that came to rest where his hand had been moments before. Kiba bit back an answering growl and forced himself to sit in silence. This hiding in the shadows went against all his instincts, but he could smell the gunpowder on the men and the thought of alerting the city to their presence when two of the pack were missing irked him even more than their cowardice. Perhaps a bit of Hige's sensibilities were beginning to wear off on Kiba, or maybe he was just getting used to the idea of pack. He wasn't sure he liked either option.

There was the sound of a match being struck and soon the air filled with thick smoke. Kiba's eyes watered and clamped a hand over his nose to keep from sneezing. Toboe did the same, huddling even closer to Kiba when an ember fell to the ground and rolled over the cobblestones.

"This is stupid," the man nearest to them complained, setting his rifle down so it leaned against the ledge. Toboe gave a small whimper that Kiba quickly shushed, though he understood it too well. Wolves fangs decorated the end of the rifle, molded into the wood side by side. Only knowing he had to keep Toboe safe kept Kiba from ripping these men's throats out here and now.

Luckily, they didn't hear Toboe's slip and continued talking. "We don't even need any more, do we?" a second voice asked. "I thought those scientists were all done with their experiments."

Someone spit on the ground. "Pah. Can't ever tell what they're up to in the Tower. Creepy, if you ask me. I mean, do you even hear the noises that come out of there at night? I think that's when they feed stupid ensigns who stole people's smokes to their monsters."

"S-stop it. Told you before I didn't steal 'em," a younger voice spoke up timidly.

"Whatever, kid. I already reported you to the higher-ups. They'll be coming to take you to the Tower soon enough." A number of the others joined in then, telling the younger soldier just what sort of tortures awaited him in quite graphic detail. It seemed stealing smokes was a capital offense.

The wolf-fang decorated rifle was picked up and the first voice spoke again. "All right, men, time to move out. Those wolves aren't getting caught by themselves. Let's head on to the East Sector" There were a few groans and protests but soon enough cigarette butts were left smoldering on the street and the men moved on, their heavy boots fading off into nothing.

Kiba and Toboe kept to the shadows a bit longer, listening intently for more troops following behind the group that had just left but none came. Cautiously, they emerged from under the ledge and stood up, scanning the silent courtyard for anyone who might be watching.

"Did you hear what—" Toboe began to ask, eyes large and worried.

"Yeah," Kiba answered.

"Do you think they—?"

"Yeah." Kiba glared in the direction the troops had disappeared, his mouth drawn up in an unconscious snarl.

Toboe, back in wolf form, danced nervously about him. "What do we do? What do we do?" Worry radiated off of him, so much as to make Kiba twitchy enough to grab him by the scruff of the neck and fling him onto the hard paving stones.

"Stop," Kiba ordered. "We keep looking. We stick to human form. We keep an ear out to figure out where the troops are and where they've been spotted."

Toboe nodded his head miserably and got to his feet. "But what if the soldiers find them before we do?" he asked quietly.

"Then we'll go look for them at that Tower," Kiba answered decisively. Really, it was impossible to think they'd do anything else. He took a few steps towards the main streets, then paused and looked back. "Well? Stop wasting time. Turn human and let's go."

Toboe nodded again and did as he was told. Satisfied, Kiba started off again. This time, a hand on his arm stopped him. "Um, sorry, Kiba, but the main street's that way."

Kiba shook off the hand with a growl and headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Hurry!" Tsume barked at Hige, pacing nervously in front of the gateway. He cast an anxious glance upward, then back to where Hige was limping as fast as he could across the open plaza while trying to doge Jagara bullets. "It's closing."

"I know" Hige managed to growl. He was painfully aware of the door slowly descending between him and Tsume, just as aware as he was of the bullets beating the ground all around him. He wasn't sure how he hadn't been hit already. Although his leg was threatening to give out on every step, he drove himself a little faster towards the only means of escape.

On the other side of the doorway, Tsume gave a sort of anxious whine and jumped forward, grabbing Hige by the scruff of his neck and tugging him back underneath the door. It slid shut just as Hige curled his tail around his hind legs out of its way. They could hear the metallic clang of bullets hitting the door. Hige lay for a moment, panting, until Tsume nudged him gently. "We've got to get out of here. We'll circle around and get in through the sewers."

Hige nodded and dragged himself to his feet. "The sewers again? I think you're enjoying this." He waved an accusatory finger in Tsume's face. Tsume just shrugged and took off running, but Hige could swear he'd seen an almost-smile.

They ran in silence, darting behind trees at the slightest sound and keeping to the bushes as much as possible. They could hear Jagara's men in the distance, feet pounding a noisy rhythm through the undergrowth that was easy to avoid as long as they kept their heads down. Hige's leg loosened up as they ran, until his limp was nearly gone. Tsume quickened the pace then, and Hige, sighing, matched it.

They drew to a halt when it was nearly dark. Hige flopped down gratefully and even Tsume looked tired, though he didn't let himself rest. Instead, the grey wolf paced the small clearing restlessly, eyes reflecting the moonlight with an eerie yellow glow.

"Every entrance," he growled. "They've got every entrance blocked. We have to get in somehow and warn Toboe and Kiba."

Hige rested his head on his front paws, resisting the urge to just close his eyes and let sleep take him. "Was that just a sentiment of concern I heard from you, Tsume?" he asked lightly.

"I'm looking out for myself," Tsume growled, snapping at Hige. "This is a dangerous place to be a lone wolf."

"Woah, chill out." Hige held out his hands and Tsume backed off, eyes still narrowed in irritation. Hige made a quick mental note to just let sleeping dogs lie, or brooding dogs brood, or whatever, before cautiously moving away from the tree he found his back up against. "So what's the plan, then?" he asked as a sort of truce. Sometimes it was best to give Tsume the authority he demanded.

It worked and Tsume calmed down, mollified for the moment. Hige sat down again and watched as Tsume paced the small clearing, stiff as a board and jumpy as an alleycat. Which was a thought that Hige kept to himself. He was rather certain Tsume wouldn't take kindly to being compared to a feline even in the best of moods.

Hige's leg jabbed him with a sharp flash of pain as he shifted and he turned his attention to his injury. Now that they'd stopped moving and the adrenaline had worn off the muscles were stiffening and exhaustion overcame him. He wearily licked at the half-healed gash a few times and tried hard not to think about what he'd spent most of the day swimming through, before he closed his eyes and laid his head on the ground.

He was rather surprised when, moments later, he felt a rough tongue cleaning the wound for him. Tsume was glaring at him when he opened his eyes, a sort of "tell anyone about this and die" glare that Hige would guess was one part attitude and five parts embarrassment. Wisely, Hige kept silent, head still on his paws. He tried not to wince when Tsume was too rough, sending jolts of pain up his leg. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on the night surrounding them. He knew he was a city-pup, knew there was a city-softness to him that Tsume and Kiba despised and Toboe couldn't help but identify with, even as the younger wolf idolized and emulated the older members of their little pack. But that didn't mean he couldn't be aware of his surroundings; quite the opposite, in fact. At times Tsume and Kiba were so stuck in their bullheaded determination to be wolves that they forgot the basic essence of being a wolf was to survive. Which was when Hige would step in and nudge them ever so gently down the path to humanity, because that was the path to survival, and what use was paradise when you died trying to reach it?

But tonight, tonight was a time to be a wolf, as a wolf should be. Ignoring the pain in his haunches, Hige stretched his senses and tested their surroundings. The sounds of crickets chirping, of a stream gently cascading down the hillside, the wind rustling the leaves of the quakers above them were all he could hear. A few deep breaths confirmed their safety for the time being, though the distant, metallic tang of gun powder that came in bursts from the city to their east made his hair stand on end and sent a shiver through his body.

Tsume's tongue let up its assault on the wound and Hige felt the other wolf move up beside him, side-to-side for warmth. Hige didn't bother to open his eyes, but turned his head and shot a toothy grin in the other's direction.

"I think you'll live," Tsume said gruffly, and if Hige hadn't been so exhausted he would've jumped in surprise. Something that sounded almost like an apology, or maybe even a joke, coming from Tsume's lips?

"I don't sense anyone around," Tsume continued. "Get some rest. We'll head back inside in a few hours after the moon sets."

Hige grunted a sleepy reply, happy and more or less content now that the pain had abated and there was a warm body pressed up against him. And even if that body smelled like it had been swimming through a sewer all day with good reason, at least they were no longer _in _said sewer. With the moon waxing above them and the stars shining down on them… Hige smiled happily and buried his nose in the leaves to block out the sewer smell, reminded suddenly of times long gone. And he smiled for another reason when Tsume heaved a sigh of his own and settled his head across both their paws. Then, the long day caught up with him and he was lost in dreams of a beautiful white girl and teeth and blood.

TBC…

Thanks to those who've reviewed!


	3. Morning Alarms

Disclaimer: _Wolf's Rain_ belongs to Bandai and Studio Bones and anyone else who's paid for the rights. I'm just borrowing this world for fun. No profit is being made from this story.

**Flesh and Bone**

**Chapter 3**

**Morning Alarms**

Quint awoke cold and sore, nose and ears numb from the icy wind blowing over his exposed face. He rolled over with a groan and pulled the rough wool blanket closer around him, not quite ready to face the morning sun that was just starting to peak over the mountains. He was getting too old for this roughing it bullshit.

A warm body shifted beside him and he snuck a hand out of his warm cocoon to ruffle dusty fur. Blue raised her head, ears pressed flat for warmth, and gave him a baleful glare. Her look of perturbed sleepiness made him chuckle and he scratched the scruff of her neck apologetically.

He lay for awhile between sleep and wakefulness, lazily watching the sun slowly climb its way into the sky. The valley warmed with the sun, coming to life around him until finally the aches and pains of lying on the ground offset his reluctance to face the chill air. He threw off the blanket and stumbled off behind a stubby tree for a piss. Blue was watching him closely when he came back to camp.

"Huh," he grunted at her as he knelt down to roll up his blanket. "What kind of lady are you, watching a man do his morning business?"

Blue just yawned at him and lay her head back down. He gave her another pat on the head and went to the remains of his campfire. A few embers still flickered weakly and he coaxed them back to life with some dry grass and a little bit of poking with a half-charred stick.

Breakfast was a simple affair; some instant coffee and grits he'd traded for a wolf pellet a few towns back. Blue disappeared for awhile and came back licking the blood of some unlucky creature off her muzzle. She sniffed disdainfully at the grits Quint offered her and slunk off to rest in the shade of a large boulder.

"That bad, huh?" Quint chuckled, scraping the remainder from the pot into the fire. The flames died out for a moment, smothered, before raging back to life with the scent of charred corn. Taking a handful of dirt, Quint scoured the pot and rinsed it out with a bit of water, then stuck it into his pack. With the ease of long practice, he cleaned up the rest of camp quickly. By the time he strapped his sleeping pad onto the outside of his pack, nothing remained of the grits and the fire was nearly embers again. Blue stood up as Quint kicked some dirt over the fire pit just to be safe, though he had a suspicion there wasn't anything that would burn in this godforsaken desert.

"Ready to go, then?" he asked her, shouldering his pack. Blue yipped and gave an excited sort of hop that reminded Quint of how she'd been as a puppy. She took off down the road, nose to the ground, following some convoluted path only she could sense.

Quint followed after at a more sedate pace, taking his time and letting his muscles warm up and his joints unfreeze. He gripped his gun tightly in hand; Blue's excitement made him nervous. He wasn't taking any chances, not after what he'd heard in the last town…

The men he'd talked to in the bar had been afraid of the desert road and, tongues loosened with liqueur, they weren't embarrassed to tell him their fears. Men disappearing, thought lost in the desert, their bodies never found, only to turn up months later in the same place dead but barely rotting. At least, this was the extent of what Quint managed to make out as truth from what the men said. When he mentioned he was heading for Anamath, their stories grew even wilder. Apparently these men believed the lords of Anamath had something to do with the deaths. He'd grudgingly parted with some precious coins to buy them all another round of beer, but then their words turned into tall tales. Some of the bodies weren't men, or may have been men once but were no longer recognizable as such. Some were twisted, horrible beasts with hair all over and three sets of eyes. One man claimed banshees, released from the towers of Anamath, lured men from their bedrolls and off the cliffs where they could feast on their souls and produce unnatural offspring.

Quint scoffed at that, and decided that man was cut off.

It was the mention of wolves that caught his attention. Or at least, of wolves corpses, showing up on occasion alongside the human ones. Strange that both would die the same way, since in Quint's experience wolves weren't half as foolish as humans. Even stranger since wolves had been gone from these parts for centuries. And likely no coincidence that Anamath had the highest bounty for wolves in the land.

The next morning Quint had awoken before dawn, paid his fare, and began walking the road to Anamath, Blue trotting along at his side.

It had been several days since then, and according to what he'd been told, Anamath was only a two day walk away. He still had to cross the cliffs above the Descut and cross the wide plain approaching Anamath, however. If his informants words could be trusted, that was where the majority of the dead had disappeared. Two days to go, and a lot could happen in a few days. He called Blue back to his side and they walked side by side, alert for anything out of the ordinary.

* * *

The city grew eerily quiet at night. As soon as the sun had set, Kiba and Toboe had found themselves wandering alone through abandoned streets. The hushed, nervous buzz of the midday crowd was replaced by empty silence; not even a stray piece of garbage showed that anyone had ever been here.

Kiba's fur bristled and he walked stiffly, alert for any sort of noise or sign of danger as he searched as inconspicuously as possible for any trace of a scent of Tsume or Hige. Toboe slunk along behind him, tail between his legs. The city had been transformed into a ghost town and it made them both nervous.

At last they gave up and headed back to the ruined building they were using as quarters while in the city. It was too difficult to keep an eye out for danger, keep out of the open, and try to pick up two scents among the myriad. Toboe's tail and ears were drooping as he led the way, as much from disappointment, Kiba guessed, as exhaustion. Kiba himself was tired; the constant strain of being surrounded by humans, of pretending to _be_ human, took its toll on a body. He hadn't wanted to give up, had been tempted to send Toboe back on his own and keep searching the city himself for their missing comrades. In the end, however, he had given into his body's demand for rest, and his conscience's demand that he look after the young pup rather than chase after two full-grown wolves more than capable of taking care of themselves.

It was rather irking how his conscience oftentimes had Tsume's voice, especially when it spoke to him of matters concerning their youngest member.

Toboe led them through a maze of twists and turns that somehow, miraculously, brought them to their temporary shelter. Hige and Tsume were nowhere to be seen. Kiba bit back a growl of frustration; it had been a small hope, after all. Toboe flopped down immediately in the corner he and Tsume had shared the first and only night they'd bunked together in the building and was snoring softly within minutes.

Kiba stayed awake longer, pacing the narrow room in agitation despite his exhaustion. The dead quiet of the night drove him to distraction. He needed to hear life around him to know that his was not in danger. This city was like a deer frozen in the snow; it had the appearance of life but nothing moved inside. It would rot from the inside out as soon as it thawed.

He stared at the stars for awhile instead of sleeping, waiting until the moon rose over the mountains. It was bright and beautiful, nearly full. He could almost smell the luna flowers in the air, for all that they were really nothing more than a fragment of a memory. He resisted the urge to howl out to the moon, to call out to his missing pack mates and continue past the walls until they found the source of that imaginary scent. Resisted, because he remembered the soldier's gun decorated with wolves' teeth and he had no wish for himself or Toboe or Hige to be among them. Tsume he sometimes wished such a fate upon, but Tsume could take care of himself and the soldiers would pay with their own blood if they tried for Tsume's teeth. The thought of fangs warping the metal of those vile guns made Kiba smile at the justice. Perhaps paradise was a world rid of the abominable inventions of man.

Kiba didn't realized he'd fallen asleep with his thoughts until he was blinking his eyes open against bright morning light, body frozen halfway to awareness as he tried to take in what was going on around him. There was a horrible screeching noise filling the air and Kiba snarled as he came fully awake at last, jumping up into a fighting crouch to find…

Nothing.

Toboe crouched down low near where he'd fallen asleep against the last standing wall, tail tucked in close under his body as he looked around nervously. The sharp tang of human fear was strong in the air, and sounds of panic filtered up from the streets below. Cautiously, Kiba peaked his head over the edge of the low wall. People were running through the streets, ducking into some of the sturdier looking buildings, dropping their morning shopping and abandoning their livestock in their panic. A few loose pigs squealed as they darted through the crowd, just as frightened as the people around them.

"What's going on?" Toboe asked, crawling over to peak over the wall along side Kiba. "What's everyone running from?"

The horrible, blaring noise stopped suddenly, and it was only then that Kiba realized it had been a siren. The panic continued in the streets below, however. Kiba watched it silently, not bothering to reply to the younger wolf's questions. It was stupid of the pup to ask them when it was obvious Kiba couldn't answer.

"What should we do?" Toboe asked after a moment had passed. The streets were gradually getting emptier as people made their way inside. A few soldiers appeared from around the corner, shoving the few stragglers towards the narrow doorways of the still-standing buildings with the barrels of their guns. Kiba and Toboe quickly projected _human_ and ducked down behind their own wall.

"We stay here," Kiba answered distractedly, listening intently for any calls of alarm from the soldiers. When there were none, he hoped it meant they hadn't been spotted.

"But there's no door on this building. What if all those people know something we don't?" Toboe barely managed to keep the whine out of his voice.

"We stay here," Kiba repeated gruffly.

This time, Toboe did whine. "But there might…"

"We stay here," Kiba growled a third time, standing up and taking a few steps away from the wall. Toboe flinched and sat down, burying his face in his knees as he huddled miserably against the wall. Kiba relented a little, giving into a small pang of guilt; no one should look _that_ pathetic. "We can't go running around in the streets when all the humans are inside. It'll draw too much attention to us, if the soldiers don't shoot us first." He tried to keep his irritation with the situation out of his explanation. It was hardly the pup's fault half their group was missing when the city went on some sort of military lockdown, after all. Kiba suddenly wished Tsume _were_ here, so he'd have someone he could pin the blame on, or at least take out his frustrations on. Not to mention, he would have welcomed an extra set of fangs to help in a fight. The thing that humans called a sixth sense, which Kiba preferred to just think of as his wolf sense, told him that he and Toboe wouldn't be getting out of the city without some sort of confrontation.

"Okay," Toboe agreed simply, still looking miserable. He didn't raise his head from his knees, just sat there as Kiba gave another growl of frustration and began to pace the roof, dividing his attention between the stairs that led down to the first level and Toboe's sulking figure. Toboe was right; this was hardly a defensible position. If anything decided to come up the stairs, whether it be armed soldiers or the reason for the morning alarms, they would have to fight their way out. Five stories was far too high a distance to jump, and the stairs were the only access.

There was a brief burst of gunfire and Toboe jumped visibly, eyes darting around in panic for a moment before he settled once again with his back against the wall. Kiba tensed as well, even as he called himself a fool for it. The gunfire had been at least a few city blocks away. He forced himself to relax and resumed his pacing, smirking slightly as his ears picked up the distant voice of an angry soldier berating another for his itchy trigger finger. _Stupid humans._

Kiba paused in his pacing as the uniform footsteps of another squad of soldiers approached their building. There was an odd crackling noise that made Kiba jump before he realized it was the sound of a radio transmission coming in. He silently chided himself for letting Toboe's nervousness wear off on him even as he strained his ears to listen.

There was a sharp buzzing and then a deep male voice said, "This is Blue 5, over."

Kiba moved as silently as he could over to the edge of the building, pausing just out of sight to eavesdrop on the short one-sided conversation.

"Damn. Outside the walls. Acknowledged. Blue 5 en route to Gamma Division. Over and out."

There was a pause, and a few mechanical hisses that Kiba interpreted as the soldier putting the radio away. Daring to peak his head over the wall, Kiba was relieved to see the twenty or some troops below focusing their attention on their leader, a tall, dark skinned man who called out to them in a loud voice.

"Soldiers, into patrol formation! We've got a visual confirmation from HQ. At least one of them is outside the gates. We're covering the south wall. Nothing so much as moves in Gamma District without our knowledge. Head out on my command!"

Kiba sunk back down below the cover of the wall as the leader gave the command to march to his patrol. As the sounds of booted feet tromped off into the distance, he looked up and met Toboe's worried gaze.

"A visual…of what?" Toboe asked hesitantly.

Kiba shrugged.

"You don't think…?" Toboe trailed off, voice hopeful.

…_they've got Hige and Tsume, _Kiba finished in his head. He merely shrugged again, not willing to say what he really thought out loud.

Still, Toboe seemed to understand. "Come on, then," he yelled, jumping to his feet. "We've got to find them." His previous fear was gone, replaced by a steely determination.

"Yeah," Kiba agreed, rising a little slower. "Yeah, we do."

* * *

It was far, far too early for anyone to be awake.

At least, Hige's body was telling him a few more hours, or maybe even days, of sleep, wouldn't be such a bad thing. Judging from the constant shaking of his shoulder, however, not everyone was of the same opinion.

"Mmph, I'm awake," he finally managed, which stopped the shaking for a moment. Happy, Hige rolled over and prepared himself for a few more hours sleep, only to be rudely interrupted once again.

"Fine, fine. I'm awake." He reluctantly opened an eye, and nearly shut it again with a groan. Tsume stood over him, glaring down impatiently. Time to move on.

Hige risked enough rebellion to take the time to stretch luxuriously, wincing only slightly as the wound on his leg pulled. He inhaled deeply, smelling the wet grass and the nearby creek and little else. Safe, for awhile.

"Let's go," Tsume barked, breaking Hige's reverie. He pulled Hige bodily to his feet when the other wolf was slow to react and headed back into the forest at a quick pace.

"Where's the fire?" Hige grumbled, leaving the small clearing at a slightly saner pace. Tsume didn't bother with a reply.

"I looked around this morning," Tsume said after some time had passed. Hige was startled enough at the fact that Tsume had actually _initiated_ a conversation that he forgot to answer, so Tsume continued. "There's nothing on this side of the city except the door we came through. We'll have to sneak around to where we came in."

Hige bit back an angry reply at the fact that Tsume had one, gone off alone in a dangerous area without even telling him; and two, gone off and left him alone, asleep no less, in a dangerous area. After all, Tsume was actually being nice this morning. Come to think of it, he'd been nice the night before, too. "So that means no more sewers, right?" he asked instead.

"Hn." Quite a bit of Hige's irritation returned with Tsume's rather vague answer.

They traveled in silence for awhile after that, Tsume weaving a crooked path through the trees while Hige trailed behind, still limping slightly from the gouge on his leg. The sun rose fully over the mountains without them catching sight or wind of an army patrol, and as the new day drove the away the few lingering vestiges of winter that hung in the early morning air. As the day warmed, they began to hear sounds of life coming from behind the city walls; everyday sounds of people yelling and laughing, of horse-carts and cars being driven through crowded streets mingled with the more ominous noises of gunfire and artillery shells as the troops made their presence known with their morning drills.

They made slow progress as they circled the walled city towards the main entrance. Hige had a suspicion Tsume was being overly-cautious, sticking to the dense undergrowth whenever possible and pausing often, waiting long minutes with ears cocked, listening for some imagined threat. Hige didn't dare say anything; he was a city wolf after all, and Tsume would just ignore him at best. Still, Hige could hear the birds singing and the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking, and even a city wolf like him knew that smart woodland creatures like those stopped their merry singing when gun-toting soldiers came around.

They stopped for a break around lunchtime, a _real_ break and not one of the pausing momentarily mid-stride ones Tsume seemed so fond of. Hige knew it was lunch time by the way his stomach was growling, though he did his best to ignore it. Even he understood that a wolf-kill was too obvious a sign of their passage. Practically a sign reading "here there be wolves" to any soldier troop that happened to stumble across it. Instead he found a blackberry bush with a few ripe berries hanging from its branches and munched on a few, though really it just made his hunger worse.

While he was vainly searching for a few more berries, a loud wail broke through the quiet of the morning. Hige jumped, whirling, just in time to see Tsume do the same. Both wolves stood stiffly in the clearing, ready to run if need be, as the city siren went on and on.

It stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving behind a tense stillness in its wake. Nothing moved for several moments, until a distant scream split the air and the city erupted into a flurry of movement, pounding feet and the squeals of livestock.

Keeping low to the ground, Hige crawled over to Tsume's side. "What do you think that was?" he asked, not bothering to hide his nervousness.

Tsume's eyes darted back and forth, rapidly scanning their surroundings. He didn't bother to answer, lips drawn back in an unconscious snarl. Hige suddenly wished they were still in the city; even the crumbling stone walls of their temporary shelter would have given him some illusion of safety. Here, in the woods, legs aching and stomach growling, he only felt open and exposed.

Tsume nudged him then, none too gently, and Hige slunk silently after him through the forest. They headed deeper into the trees, slipping through undergrowth that snagged at Hige's fur and grabbed at his feet. Despite being in front, Tsume seemed to be having none of the same problems. Hige glared at his back, cursing the wolf for getting them into this in the first place. There were much better ways to spend a day, and that included napping it away in a decrepit old cement building.

Hige let his thoughts wander momentarily to Kiba and Toboe. He didn't worry too much; Kiba had proved himself time and time again a capable fighter and packmate, loath as the white wolf seemed to be to admit it. Hige only hoped they'd have enough sense to either hole up or flee the city. Kiba had a tendency to act first and think later, and no matter how well honed his other instincts might be, he had a decidedly underdeveloped instinct of self-preservation. Hopefully, Toboe would temper that tendency.

Meanwhile, Hige thought, it might be better for him to worry about his own hide. He could hear flares of gunfire and muffled shouting from somewhere to their right, and realized Tsume's path had twisted around back towards the city's main entrance. They weren't going to try sneaking back in now, were they?

"Where else should we go?" Tsume replied flatly when Hige voiced his concerns. His tone suggested Hige was nothing short of an idiot for asking.

"Um, hello," Hige said, waving his arms for emphasis. "Soldiers. Guns. A definite hatred of all things lupine. Remember?"

Tsume just stared at him coldly.

Hige sighed. Why was it being an alpha male came with a distinct lack of common sense? "Look," he began. "They've set off sirens. Maybe it has to do with us. Since we're outside of the city, it probably doesn't. Maybe it has to do with Kiba and Toboe. But since they didn't set off alarms when they saw us, it probably doesn't have anything to do with them either. We've hardly seen any soldiers out here. Whatever the siren is for, they're probably guarding the entrances even more closely now. We go back inside and we sign our death warrant."

Hige didn't like the stubborn set of Tsume's jaw. Liked his answer even less. "So we keep out of sight," he said, starting off in the direction of the front gate once again.

"Wait. Tsume, wait!" Hige grabbed the other wolf, snatching his hand back as Tsume snapped at him. "It's not—"

He fell silent at a nearby sound; heavy human footsteps falling loudly on the pineneedle carpet of the forest floor. He froze, feeling Tsume do the same beside him. As the footsteps grew closer, they could make out a human voice, thin and slightly out of breath.

"…absolutely makes no sense. It couldn't have possibly escaped from the city; once the alarm went off every entrance and exit was sealed. This is a complete waste of resources. We should be _inside, _not…"

"Doctor Franks, sir," a woman's voice interrupted. "We've been over this before. We can't take any chances. And personally, I don't have your infallible trust in science. No matter what your people say, the city walls _are _breachable. We'll patrol out here until we're ordered back in. And you'll stay with us until then." She sounded bored and a little weary, but definitely in charge.

"Besides," another soldier said, this one younger and softer sounding. "I'd rather be out here than in there with that thing loose."

The woman who seemed to be in charge muttered something unflattering about scientists and their creations and then they were moving on, skirting the wall just as Hige and Tsume had done earlier.

Tsume nudged Hige gently, and gestured in the opposite direction. Hige nodded his agreement and they started off once again.

It happened suddenly. There was a strange metallic sound, a loud snap, and then Tsume was down with a pained yelp. Hige stopped again, understanding dawning only when he registered Tsume's harsh whines and the glint of metal peaking through the groundcover. A trap.

Tsume snarled at him when he took a few steps forward to help, ears flat against his head and lower body held stiffly still so as not to jar his trapped leg. Hige could see it lay at an awkward angle, bent sideways just above where vicious metal teeth disappeared into flesh. Hige made an unhappy noise as Tsume snapped at him again, wishing he could get a better look. He could hear the soldier's footsteps rushing closer, obviously alerted by the noise they'd made. If Tsume had any hope of survival, Hige had to get him out of the trap and on his feet, fast.

Easier said than done.

Whispering rushed assurances, Hige inched towards the trapped wolf. A bit of sanity returned to Tsume's pain-clouded eyes as he sunk down to the ground with a low whine. Hige shushed him frantically, daring to take a closer look at the trap. Tsume growled low in his throat, but didn't attack.

Hige breathed a small sigh of relief, at least as much as the situation would allow. He knew this kind of trap, knew how to release it if he could get Tsume to cooperate. He leaned forward to put a hand on Tsume's shoulder, hoping to calm the wolf down enough to explain what he needed to do.

"Hold it right there." The same woman's voice from before halted him half way to Tsume. He looked up, thankful he had already gone human. A tall, scar-faced woman held a rifle pointed directly at his head, eyes hard as she stared at him. He stared back, waiting for her to speak again, and a dozen more soldiers stepped out from behind the trees.

All he could really think at the moment was "oh, shit."

* * *

**TBC...**

**A/N: **Whew. Finally finished that part!The characters just kept doing the same thing over and over. I was prodding them with a sharp stick shouting "Do something!" and they just kept sitting around listening to soldiers talk. Silly wolves.

Please let me know what you think! I'm a little unsure about my writing style this chapter—it feels too prose heavy. It's just so hard to figure out if the characters are wolves or human and how much of each form to carry over into the other. Oh no, I think I just confused myself. Again.

Thanks to:

lucky (glad you enjoyed it-I liked writing that part, too!) and

kristen89 (thanks! I hope Tsume isn't being too nice, though…)


End file.
